When people talk about digital platforms, they often begin with features, with possibilities, with what a product can do. We thought about these questions a lot at the beginning as well. Yet the longer we work on Aktivismo, the more our perspective shifts. It is not what we add that matters most, but what we are able to notice. For us, listening has become not an addition, but a foundation. Perhaps even the most important feature of all.

Listening begins before the first line of code

Before we wrote the first lines, there were many conversations. With people who are already engaged, with those who would like to be, and with those who have consciously decided against it. I remember moments when the answers mattered less than the nuances in between. The uncertainty of whether one can make a difference at all. The frustration with complicated processes. The quiet hope that it could be simpler. These impressions shaped Aktivismo more than any technical decision. Listening was not a concept at the beginning, but a necessity.

Between idea and reality

When we work on new features today, we notice how easily one can get lost in one’s own assumptions. An idea may feel clear and convincing in the mind, yet it is not connected to reality. Only through exchange with others does it become clear whether it holds. Madeleina often brings in a perspective that reminds us how differently people experience things. What feels motivating for one person may be overwhelming for another. For us, listening means not seeing these differences as obstacles, but as guidance.

Listening changes decisions

There are decisions we have made differently from what we originally planned. Not because the initial idea was wrong, but because we realised it did not meet real needs. I have learned that it can be difficult to step away from one’s own ideas. At the same time, it is precisely in these moments that something more honest emerges. Aktivismo does not become more straightforward through this, but more fitting. Listening does not always lead to quicker results, but it often leads to better ones.

Community emerges through exchange

We often say that Aktivismo should be a platform for community. It is easy to overlook that community does not arise from features, but from relationships. Listening is part of that relationship. It shows that perspectives are taken seriously and that experiences have a place. For us, this also means being open to criticism without immediately trying to categorise or judge it. It means allowing space for thoughts that are not yet fully formed. It is within this space that connection grows.

Listening as an ongoing process

Listening is not something that can be completed once and for all. It changes with every new person, with every experience and with every stage a project goes through. We change as well in this process. Things that once seemed important to us move into the background, while others gain meaning. Listening helps us to notice these shifts without losing ourselves in them. It keeps us moving while staying connected to what Aktivismo is meant to be.

Staying open

In the end, listening may be less of a feature and more of an attitude. It asks us not to assume in advance what is right. It asks us to remain open to being challenged and to allow new perspectives to enter. For us, this also means not seeing Aktivismo as a finished product, but as something that develops through exchange. We do not know exactly where this path will lead. But we do know that we do not want to walk it alone.